Automatic gaff hook



Jan. 10, 1956 L. E. lNMAN AUTOMATIC GAFF HOOK Filed March 10, 1955 Leo Earl lnman IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent AUTOMATIC GAFF HOOK Leo Earl lnman, Salem, Oreg.

Application March 10, 1953, Serial No. 341,399

3 Claims. (Cl. 294-110) This invention relates to a fishermans tool and more specifically relates to an automatic gait hook.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved gaif hook construction incorporating a novel cocking and trigger release mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gaif hook with improved actuating means including a spring urged plunger carrying a pin for engagement with the actuating links of the gafling hook.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved gaif hook utilizing a trigger rod connected to its spring urged actuating mechanism which will maintain the actuating mechanism in cocked position until such time as the trigger rod is engaged against the object to be gatled.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a trigger mechanism incorporating the tapered split resilient collar of a trigger rod engagement with a conical recess for maintaining the trigger mechanism in cocked position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like Parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the novel gatf hook showing the gafiing position in full lines and the spread apart cocked position in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the gait hook showing details of its internal construction;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken substantially along the plane of section line 33 of Figure 1 showing the manner of inner connection of the hooks on enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a transverse section showing a portion of the actuating mechanism on enlarged scale; and,

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the trigger assembly.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral indicates generally the elongated handle comprising the main portion of the device and which includes a pair of coextensive portions 12 and 14 removably secured together as by the screw threaded connection 16. As shown most clearly in Figures 1-3, the hook end of the handle is provided with a pair of bracket collars 18 and 20 which are provided with opposed bracket cars 22 and 24 respectively, and which are provided with intermediate arcuate portions embracing opposite portions of the handle. The brackets are urged into clamping relation with the handle by virtue of the fastening bolts 26 engaging within one end of the headed spacer posts 28 which pivotally receive the apertured ends of the gait hook ears 30 projecting laterally from an intermediate portion of the shank 32 of the gait hooks. The outer ends of the hooks terminate in the barbed points 34 and their opposite ends are disposed in cross-relation and "ice terminate in apertured lugs 36 which are joined to the looped ends of a pair of actuating rods or links 38 and 40, the opposite ends of the links being pivotally received on the opposed ends of the pin 42 extending diametrically through the handle. This pin is movable longitudinally of the handle by virtue of its engagement in the diametrically opposed elongated slots 44 and it will be seen that forward movement of the pin and consequently the links will move the hooks from the full line gafling position shown to the spread apart cocked position shown in dotted lines.

The hooks are normally urged to the gafling position inasmuch as the pin 42 is carried by a piston block or plunger 46 which is secured at one end to a tension spring 48 whose opposite end is anchored to the pin 50 secured to the handle. In the dotted line position of the hooks, the piston plunger is moved toward the hook end of the handle to tension the spring.

A plunger rod 52 is threadedly engaged at one in the piston and extends therefrom from forwardly through the plug 54 threadedly engaged in the hook end of the handle and terminates in a trigger head 56, as shown most clearly in Figure 2. A stop pin 58 is carried transversely by the rod and is adapted to abut against the enlarged end of a split resilient collar 60 of frusto-conical configuration. The plug 54 is provided on its inner face with an inwardly tapering recess 62 cooperating with the collar as hereinafter set forth.

In operation, the trigger head 56 is grasped and pulled outwardly from the handle to the dotted line position shown at which point the spring will be tensioned and the gaff hooks will be positioned as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. When the trigger rod has reached its outward extent of travel, the pin 58 will wedge the collar 60 within the tapered recess 62 so that the collar will simultaneously wedge against the surface of the recess and frictionally engage the trigger rod to maintain the assembly in cocked relation. Thereafter, when the trigger head 56 is engaged or bumped against the fish to be hooked, such action will jar the collar out of its frictional engagement and allow the tension spring to rapidly snap the gaff hooks to the gafling position, thus engaging in the fish as desired.

In this manner, an extremely sensitive gaif hook is provided which will respond to only a slight engaging force against the fish to be hooked. In this respect, it will be noted that the brackets 18 and 20 are longitudinally adjustable of the handle so as to obtain the proper bite between the barbed ends of the hook, such bite being varied in accordance with the type of fish being gaifed.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A gaff hook comprising an elongated hollow handle, a pair of cooperating gaff hooks at one end of the handle pivotally mounted thereon for swinging into and from gafiing position, actuating means in said handle for said hooks operatively connected to said hooks and movable in opposite directions to swing said hooks into and from gafling positions respectively, spring means in said handle for moving said actuating means in one direction, a plunger rod in said handle to which said actuating means is operatively connected and manually movable outwardly of said handle to move the actuating means in the opposite direction in opposition to said spring means, and coacting wedge members in said handle and on said rod co-engaging in response to outward movement of said rod to lock said rod in outward position and disengaged by a jarring impact against said rod to unlock the rod for operation of said actuating means by said spring means.

2. A gaff hook as in claim 1, one of said members having a tapered recess therein, the other member being frusto-conical for wedging into said recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Churchill Mar. 30, 1926 Johnson et a1. Feb. 5. 1952 

